Elroy Andrew Altendorf was born in Milwaukee, Wisconsin to Roy and Catherine Nehrbass Altendorf in 1916 and was the middle son of three sons in his family. His father worked as a salesman and was born in Wisconsin. His mother was also born in Wisconsin. Both of his paternal and maternal grandparents immigrated from Germany.

He enlisted in the US Air Corps on September 17, 1940 at Milwaukee and served during World War II. He had the rank of Technical Sergeant. Occupation or specialty was Top Turret Gunner. Service number was 16006483. Served with 384th Bomber Group, Heavy, 547th Bomber Squadron.

Altendorf experienced a critical situation which resulted in loss of life on April 24, 1944. Recorded circumstances attributed to: "FOD - Finding of Death". Incident location: Leustetten, Germany.

Elroy Andrew Altendorf was born in Wisconsin to Roy and Catherine Altendorf in 1916 and was one of the three sons in his family. His father was a iron worker born in Wisconsin. His mother was from Germany. He enlisted in the US Air Corps on September 17, 1940 at Milwaukee.

He was the top turret gunner on the crew of the B-17G #42-38158 "Jean" during a mission to bomb the Dornier aircraft factory at Oberpfaffenhofen, Germany. They received a direct hit in the cockpit and exploded mid air, crashing near Leustatten, Germany.

8 casualties related to the #42-38158 incident on April 24, 1944.

Pilot: 2nd Lt. William Graham MacKichan, MI FOLD3 .

Co-Pilot: 2nd Lt. William James Hautz , OH. FOLD3

Navigator: 1st Lt. Neil Emerson Walling, MI. FOLD3

Bombardier: 2nd Lt. John D. Lynch, Jr., IN. FOLD3

Top Turret: T/Sgt. Elroy Andrew Altendorf , WI FOLD3

Ball Turret: S/Sgt. John S. Cox, IN FOLD3.

Tail Gunner: T/Sgt. John Paul Pastorella , CT. FOLD3

Right Waist Gunner: S/Sgt. Kermit Iver Olstad , MN FOLD3

Bailed Out and survived:

Radio Operator: S/Sgt. Kenneth D. Gray, ID -39831267 POW at Stalag 17B Braunau Gneikindorf near Krems Austria FOLD3

Left Waist Gunner: S/Sgt. Claus Norman Gustafson -12129322 POW at Stalag 17B Braunau Gneikindorf near Krems Austria FOLD3

Elroy Andrew Altendorf is buried or memorialized at Plot D Row 35 Grave 13, Ardennes American Cemetery, Neupre, Belgium. This is an American Battle Monuments Commission location.

COMMENDATIONS

★ Air Medal ★ Purple Heart

This story is part of the Stories Behind the Stars project (seehttps://www.storiesbehindthestars.org/ . This is a national effort of volunteers to write the stories of all 400,000+ of the US WWII fallen here on Fold3. Can you help write these stories? Related to this, there will be a smart phone app that will allow people to visit any war memorial or cemetery, scan the fallen's name and read his/her story.

Elroy A Altendorf